Canon 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS vs Tamron SP 70-300 f/4-5.6 Di VC USD

This will be my first zoom and I'm trying to decide which one I should go with. My biggest interest is in wildlife photography. Opinions?

The 55-250 is a pretty darn good lens for the price, hard to go wrong with it. I don't have any personal experience with the Tamron lens you listed.

What other lenses do you have? A nice feature of the 55-250 for me is that it starts at 55 opposed to 70. I have a 17-50 and it only leaves a 5mm gap between lenses whereas there would be a larger gap had I gone with something like the 70-300. However, that's not nearly a deal breaker for me, just a nice benefit, I am getting ready to pick up either a 70-200 f4L or a 120-400 dust pump and I'll end up having myself a nice little gap (unless I keep the 55-250 to fill in that space).

But, all in all, the 55-250 gives admirable IQ for the price!

55-250 w/o a doubt.

patrickf117 wrote in post #11918448
55-250 w/o a doubt.

Have you ever used the Tamron?

ThePwnyExpress wrote in post #11918439
The 55-250 is a pretty darn good lens for the price, hard to go wrong with it. I don't have any personal experience with the Tamron lens you listed.

What other lenses do you have? A nice feature of the 55-250 for me is that it starts at 55 opposed to 70. I have a 17-50 and it only leaves a 5mm gap between lenses whereas there would be a larger gap had I gone with something like the 70-300. However, that's not nearly a deal breaker for me, just a nice benefit, I am getting ready to pick up either a 70-200 f4L or a 120-400 dust pump and I'll end up having myself a nice little gap (unless I keep the 55-250 to fill in that space).

But, all in all, the 55-250 gives admirable IQ for the price!

It may start at 55, but it also ends at 250. When it comes to a TELEPHOTO lens, I'll gladly give up 15mm on the wide end to get 50mm on the long end.

Personally, if I was into wildlife photography and wanted something on a budget, I'd go with either a Tamron 200-500mm f5-6.3 or Sigma 170mm-500mm f5-6.3

250mm just isn't long enough and 300mm is still a little short.

patrickf117 wrote in post #11918448
55-250 w/o a doubt.

yes, get the 55-250IS for $185 at Adorama, get some great shots and in the meantime save for the 100-400
http://www.adorama.com​/CA55250AFSR.html

Both are good lens , but not all that great for wildlife . You will find both rather short for that . Between the two I would go with the Tamron for the extra lenght. Yes 50mm will make a difference on the long end.

I agree that even 300 will be short. 250 definitely.

I've never used the 55-250, but have heard great things about it. However, I abought a Tamron 70-300 VC USD and absolutely love it!

LowriderS10 wrote in post #11918619
It may start at 55, but it also ends at 250. When it comes to a TELEPHOTO lens, I'll gladly give up 15mm on the wide end to get 50mm on the long end.

I was speaking versatility wise. If the ending focal range is your biggest concern, then yes, the 70-300 might be a better option if the IQ is up to par. A telephoto lens is what you need it to be, not everyone has the same needs. And I certainly wouldn't give up the low end advantage if the IQ on the zoomed end of the other lens in question was substandard.

ThePwnyExpress wrote in post #11919029
I was speaking versatility wise. If the ending focal range is your biggest concern, then yes, the 70-300 might be a better option if the IQ is up to par. A telephoto lens is what you need it to be, not everyone has the same needs. And I certainly wouldn't give up the low end advantage if the IQ on the zoomed end of the other lens in question was substandard.

Yes, but the OP specifically posted that his needs are wildlife photography. For that, the longer the better, and what a lens has on the wide end is unimportant.

However, I love your screenname. Well done.

Since neither are going to be quite long enough, would it not make sense to go with the cheaper option and save toward a sigma 150-500 or 50-500?
The tamron is good, but IMO not worth the price compared to the 55-250.

It would be nice to know the OPs budget .

Yes...and whether he minds lugging around a massive piece of gear (compared to others) like the Bigmos.

For widlife the 70-300 would be better even for accepting a TC, as the 250 dont